December 29, 2014 – January 12, 2015
At the dawn of the year 2015, Saturn and Jupiter delight our eyes in the early morning, along with the constellations of a stunning, late spring sky. Later, in the very early evening, Venus and Mercury engage in a drama that culminates in their closest pairing, to take place from January 8 – 12. Mars remains a constant, appearing low in the southwest at nightfall.
Uniquely, right now it is easy for relatively late risers to enjoy the beauty and wonder of celestial dawn. Beginning today and lasting through January 10, sunrise in our locale is at 7:22 a.m., the latest of the year. Given that these are the darkest mornings, the most luminous planets and stars can be seen until about 7 a.m.
January’s Wolf Moon arrives at full phase at 11:54 p.m. on the 4th, making for several long nights into morning lit by a full or nearly full moon.
Planet Saturn shines pale yellow rather low in the southeast during the hour before sunrise. To confirm your sighting, look up toward zenith to spot the brightest star in the sky, orange Arcturus.
The very brightest star-like object is the planet Jupiter in the southwest, to the right of the orange giant. Saturn will vanish as sunrise approaches whereas Arcturus and Jupiter will be visible at 7 a.m. if you’ve scouted them out by 6:45 so you know where to look. Jupiter and the waning (decreasing in size) gibbous moon can be seen rising together in the east around 7:30 p.m. on January 7; the pair travel the heavens all night until they set in the west on the morning of the 8th.
The charms of the evening sky are heightened at the inception of the New Year by the return of planets Venus and Mercury, both visible soon after sundown. Find a location with an unobstructed view to the southwest skyline. Brilliant Venus will appear close above the spot where the sun set and will disappear into the horizon about an hour later. Less bright Mercury appears below Venus as December turns into January. The two draw closer together every evening until they appear side by side on the 8th, their closest pairing progressing until the 12th. After the 12th, the separation between the two increases every day.
